Marine veterans to deliver military cargo carrier truck full of toy donations in Bayonne

Several of Bayonne's Marine veteran volunteers this morning delivered a 2 1/2-ton military cargo truck full of toy donations to the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation, 555 Kennedy Blvd., in Bayonne.

The toys will next week be distributed to hundreds of Bayonne families in need, according to B.E.O.F. executive director Ana Quintela.

“We had about 300 individuals come and apply fortoys for their children who would not be able to buy any toys for their children for the Holidays,” Quintela said. “Without their [Toys For Tots’] contribution, we wouldn’t be able to assist all of these children. It means the world to us and to the children.”

Part of its 47th annual collection effort for Toys For Tots, several of Bayonne's Marine veterans collected toy donations last week in front of McDonald's on Broadway, near 25th Street in Bayonne.

"It was pretty good this year," veteran Paul Winters, 70, said of the collection efforts. "Being that we have an economic situation [nationally]."

Winters added that a handful of local businesses also donated to the effort.

Since its inception in 1947 by a group of Marine Reservists, the Toys for Tots program has donated more than 400 millions toys to more than 188 million children, according to their Web site.